Haunt
by Glitter Mafia
Summary: A deathly silence reigned over the forest. All the birds and creatures had hidden themselves in the leaves and underbrush. The only sound disturbing the eerie quiet was the desperate panting breath of the monster’s prey.


Disclaimer: The ideas and any characters you recognize belong to Masashi Kishimoto and his Naruto series.

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**Prologue **

A deathly silence reigned over the forest. All the birds and creatures had hidden themselves in the leaves and underbrush. The only sound disturbing the eerie quiet was the desperate panting breath of the monster's prey. A young boy had hidden himself in the thick foliage at the bottom of an ancient and dying tree. His clothes were heavy with mud and blood trickled from the various gashes that marred his small frame. On his left thigh, blood flowed out of a deep cut staining his pants a deep brown red. He clutched in his hands a useless kunai. It would never be enough to stop the predator that hunted him. The hitai-ate tied on his arm was held there by only a thin frayed string, the insignia carved in the metal invisible under the grime.

The boy was shaking uncontrollably. No training had prepared him for this. Ninja were always the hunters. But in this ill twist of fate, he was the cornered prey. His limit had been reached. He could no longer run and evade. All the remained was the hope that Death would be kind and retrieve him quickly. As foolish a hope as any.

Just a few yards away from the trembling boy was the monster. He could smell his prey's uncontrolled fear, could almost see the sweat and blood dripping from its body. The running was over. His prey no longer the strength to even stand. It was time to collect the final piece of data. Could sheer pain kill? The demon look forwarded to pulling the answer from the the boy's contorting body. It would be easy to conduct the last experiment, now that the child was too weak to run. After the information was gathered he would watch the light fade from the young eyes. It had to end soon. The monster was beginning to feel the first wisps of tiredness. It was time for the conclusion to be reached.

The boy could feel the monster's presence. He could see its dark shadow on the earth. It wasn't even trying to hide. It knew it didn't need to. There was nothing that the boy could do to stop it. He had just been returning home from visiting a neighboring village. And now he was going to die at the hands of a soulless demon.

The demon closed in on its target. The boy was crouched low, under the spiky green leaves of the underbrush. The thing already smelled of death. Creeping forward slowly, the hunter positioned himself directly behind his prey. The boy did not even realize. Carefully, the hunter pressed a needle into the vein bulging at the side of the child's neck. It jerked, trying to scramble away futilely. The monster withdrew the needle as the creature melted languidly to the ground, the effect of the drug setting in quickly.

"There now little one. Sleep while you can. I can only give you a short time to rest. Experiments such as these should be conducted quickly and accurately," whispered the demon, " You did well. Not many last as long as you did running. I was beginning to think that it was time to switch focus. Little boys seem too weak these days. They give up to easily. But you…your data is very interesting. It seems there is hope yet for our future. It appears there are still a few strong ones left. Ones that aren't afraid of fighting. It's unfortunate that I must take one away. But, its for science and science benefits us all."

The boy never responded. He lied limply in the arms of the freakish scientist as he was carried through the woods. The powerful drug in his system could not keep him from dreaming. Inside his head images of horrible deaths, terrifying predators closing in on prey and the darkness that was to come flitted past. Hope was completely gone. Death would not come quickly or easily.

The boy awoke in a dark room. The first thing that he noticed was an overwhelming smell. The air was scented with a disturbing mixture of blood and antiseptic. It was vaguely reminiscent of a hospital. The room was filled with objects ranging from medical tools to pieces of science experiment sets. It looked like it had come from a scene in a horror film. One with mad scientists. His arms and legs were cuffed to a chair. A chain pulled across is forehead and another across his shoulders, immobilizing his torso. There was a table to his left covered with gruesome looking instruments. They looked as if they had only one purpose. To cause pain.

All of a sudden a bloodcurdling scream broke the silence. The boy jerked and pulled against his chains as the pain-filled cry continued. The sound was abruptly cut off by a horrid gurgling sound. In the silence that followed, the boy began to shake uncontrollably. A door opened behind him. The rancid stench of stomach acid wafted in, closely followed by footsteps.

" I see you a finally woken up. I must apologize for the smell, but I felt it was time to refresh my memory on abdominal anatomy. I was always a hands on learner," said the demon. He held up his blood-soaked hands. The boy could not restrain a terrified whimper.

"Now, lets begin shall we. It seems you have had enough time to recover. Please, answer the following questions honestly and with detail. Have you ever experienced what we call…um…unbearable pain, before?" asked the hunter. The boy stared at him with wide, fear filled eyes. He uttered no sound. "It would do well for you to answer boy…" the threat was clear in the demons cold eyes and deep voice. The boy quickly shook his head no. " Good, a fresh test subject is always best. Are you feeling dopey, drowsy, lightheaded, or in any other way under the influence of narcotics or prohibiting drugs?" All the boy could do was shake his head no. It made him feel sick to think how aware he was.

The demon quickly scribbled his responses onto a grimy notepad. He then set the pad down and picked up a handful of gruesome looking needles, covered with little barbs. He gently placed the tip of one in the tender area at the joint of arm and shoulder. "Now I don't want you to hold back. It very important for my data that you express all discomfort and pain," it whispered in the boy's ear. Then it pushed the barbed needle in.

All perception of time was lost. There was just pain and screaming and blood. Intervals of intense torture were ended with brief notations in the dirty little notebook. But instead of giving relief, these little breaks only brought more fear. Fear of what the new, more terrifying tool the monster would use next. The boy had no idea how long the agony lasted. His voice eventually lost the ability to scream. Whenever he stopped responding to the pain, the monster would back off and allow him to recover. Then he would return, causing agony greater than before. It was never ending cycle. The demon never seemed to tire of his work. He demanded no answers nor even asked any questions. He seemed to just enjoy his work, torturing without reason.

Then he stopped. The monster froze with a horrible looking drill poised above the boy's kneecap. He turned quickly, dropping the drill. The demon's eyes shot about the room, looking to the exit warily.

"Damn," he murmured, " it looks as if your experiment won't be completed today." The monster turned and offered the boy a small regretful smile. He began gathering up the tools into a bag and shoving the notebook into it. Then, as if becoming one with the shadows, the creature disappeared.

The hours ticked by. The boy remained strapped to the chair. Every noise made his heart jump madly in his chest. He feared to demon would return to finish what it started. The blood clotted in his wounds and the sharp stinging pains faded into dull throbs. Exhaustion began to overwhelm him. With each passing moment his eyes got heavier. The need for sleep soon outweighed his fear. The boy fell gently into a blessedly dreamless sleep.

The boy jolted awake. His hand immediately came up to massage his pounding head. He winced as the gashes pulled at his shoulder. It took him a moment to realize what he had just done. The boy pulled his head back to examine his hand. It was free. So were his legs and head and shoulders. He was free. The restraint all lay in a mess about the chair, all covered in strange goo. He slowly pulled himself up, grimacing at the pulling of cramped muscles and irritating of cuts. Keeping his body low and hidden behind the long worktable, he dragged himself through the door. Once in an eerily lit stone hall, he looked around. He caught sight of a pale yellow light flowing in from one end. Pressing his back against the wall he limped to it as quickly as possible. He passed the eviscerated body of another boy. The bile rose in his throat and threatened to choke him. Shutting his eyes, the boy moved on silently, doing his best to ignore the other horrifying figures that were scattered in the complex.

The door to the outside stood ajar, allowing the early morning sun to peep in. It looked almost peaceful. The boy pushed the door open and slipped out, remaining crouched. After giving a brief overlook of the area he stood up cautiously. He gathered up all of his remaining strength and will power, gritting his teeth against the aches and pains and nightmarish thoughts. Then he ran, he ran like he had never run before.

Tsunade and Shizune stood as the boy made the final leaping bound toward them. The medic ninjas were forced to jump forward and catch his exhausted body before he hit the ground.

Berty and Angie: WE'RE BACK!!

Angie: After an extended vacation...

Berty: Too the underworld of no fanfiction

Angie: Its a very dark dark place

Berty: I hate the dark...

Angie: I'm afraid of the dark

Benitora: Thats why their stuff is so dark. Be prepared to wait for another year for the next story!

Berty and Angie: HEY!! We're going to try to be better this time!!

Angie: GO DEAN!!

Berty: I love you Sam!!

Beni: Beware of obscure Supernatural references...


End file.
